Yashaswani Chauhan, Pune
As Hurricane Helene hits the Southeastern United States, authorities are urging people with EVs to be concerned about fire hazards associated with floods. The resulting storm whose loss of lives and destruction has been over a hundred, has resulted in most cars and roads being flooded. Of them, especially EVs can be at risk because of battery short circuits.
Before the actual hurricane encountered the coastal region of the United States, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis cautioned that owners of EVs should charge their vehicles to avoid water damage and fire outbreaks when they take their cars to elevated grounds. “If you have an EV, you need to get that to higher land,” DeSantis said in a news conference. Be careful about that getting inundated. It can cause fires.”
Both professional sources aver that whereas electric automobiles are equally prone to catching fire like vehicles powered by gasoline, this probability rises with flooding: a calamity likely to trigger a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. This happens when water makes the connections of the car’s battery causing a short circuit, heat is produced and it moves from one cell of the battery to the other which may lead to a fire. But electrical car fires occur infrequently, with only roughly 25 fires per 100,000 EVs, while there are 1,530 in gasoline cars.
For the EV owners whose cars have been submerged, there are some tips from AAA and Tesla. They suggest that there should be no effort to start the car if it has been in the water at any one time. Continuing might cause some harm to the battery or the engine if it is attempted to be restarted. However, it is recommended that drivers should exit the vehicle, go to the sidewalk or any other safer area of the road, and inform their insurance service provider.
Also, Tesla comes to the reminder that any flooded electric vehicle should be moved to at least 50 ft away from nearby buildings, other cars, or anything flammable. The efficiency of this process minimizes the possibilities of fire progression in the event of a thermal runaway. It is also essential to take the car to an authorized agent to check it before it can be used again.
It is agreed that future harm from flooded electric autos is still possible as recovery from Hurricane Helene proceeds, which is why local authorities strongly emphasize these measures.